Indicator-driving mechanism.



A. LOOMIS.

INDICATOR DRNING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19,1909.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. Looms. INDICATOR DRIVING MBCHANISM'.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 19094 Witnesses UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN LOOMIS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR., BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO PACKARD MOTOR CAR COMPANY, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF IVIICHIGAN.

INDICATOR-DRIVING MECHANISM.

speciacation of Letters Patent. "Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

Application med May 19, 1909. serial No. 497,047.

j To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN LooMis, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have' invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicator-Driving Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automobiles and particularly to mechanism for driving indicators such as speedometers, odometers, taximeters, etc. Heretofore these various indicators have been driven from the road wheels of the automobile through a flexible shaft extending from the indicator on the dash to the front wheels where the shaft. is connected through a pair of spur gears to the road wheel, one of the gears being mounted directly on the wheel. Thus the gears are necessarily exposed and cannot be lubricated. Aside from the wear -t-hus necessitated the gearing is liable to injury frori stones, mud, etc., thrown up from the rea It is one of the objects of this invention to so construct the indicator driving mechanisrn that the gears and driving' shafts may be entirely inclosed where they may be properly lubricated and be free from external injury.

Another object is to construct such mechanism so. Athat it may be built up with the machine and not necessarily form an accessory which is adapted to be placed on the machine after it has been constructed.

.Other objects will appear in the detailed description.

A driving shaft is mounted in and extends through the spindle which is mounted upon the knuckle and connects at the outer end with the hub of the wheel. vThe inner end of the driving shaft is provided with. a gear which meshes with a gear on a driven shaft journaled in the knuckle, this driven shaft being a flexible shaft and connected to the indicator mounted upon. the dash. gears are entirely inclosed by a housing which housing protects the gear against injury and allows the mechanism to be packed in grease. A This housing may be a separate housing bolted or otherwise secured to the knuckle or spindle, forming a Support for the driving and dri-uen shafts, or the knuckle may be hollow and the gears mounted in the cavity. When the knuckle is of the hollow construct-ion a removable cap is provided whereby the gears and driving shaft may be removed. l

In the drawings: Figurel is a vertical section through a steering knuckle of an automobile showing one form of this inven` tion embodied therein; Fig. 2 is a part sectional view c -n the line 2 2 Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end view of the outer end of the wheel hub shown in Fig. 1 with the-hub cafp ref moved; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating another form of the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3: 10 designates a front axle provided with a yoke forming yoke arms 11. A steering knuckle 12, consisting of a body portion 13 and having a spindle 14, is mounted on a pivot pin 15 extending through the knuckle and the yoke arms and secured in place by a nut 16 and Cotter pin as shown iu Fig. 1. The knuckle is preferably providedv with the usual bushings 17, and a thrust ring 18 isprovided to transmit the weight. of the vehicle to the wheels. Thel knuckle is' pro vided with an arm 19 which connects with the usual steering mechanism.' The road Wheel 20 comprises an inner hub member 21, an outer hub member Q2. which hub members are provided with flanges 23, 23, and spokes 24 clamped and bolted in place between the flanges 23. 23 by bolts or rivets as shown. The bushing 25 is riveted or otherwise secured to the inner hub member 21 by fastenings Q6 and is mounted upon the spindle 14. The usual hub cap 27 is provided which screws on the end of thez hub 22, and the nut 2S secures the wheel in place. In Fig. 2. T designates the tire of the road wheel. Through the spindle 14 extends a bore 29 forming a bearing for 'the driving shaft 30. On the outer end of the driving shaft is mounted afspider 31 proso as to prevent endwise movement thereof.. The knuckle 1s hollow forming a cavity 35 in which is located the bevel gear 33 re- A6 mounted upon a flexible driven shaft 3T extending to the indicator on the dash. The i bevel gear 3G may also be secured to its '5 shaft by means of a suitable pin. The

driven shaft 37 is mounted in a removable bushing which is screwed into the knuckle as shown in Fig. 2. The casing 39 for the flexible shaft 37 is provided to protect the 10 same. In order to permit inspection and removal of the gears a removable cap 40 is provided, which cap is screwed intothe knuckle.

From the above description it will be seen that all Vworking parts of the' driving mechanism are protected and the gears may be packed in grease. Further the gears 33 and 36 may be removed through the opening closed by the cap 40.

In the construction shown in Fig. 4 theA knuckle is pivotally mounted upon coaxial -pivots 15, 15b screwed into the arms l1 and locked in place by lock screws il. The pivot pin 15b is hollow providing a bearing for the flexible shaft. 37". A bushing 38a,

similar to the bushing 38- shown in Fig. 2,

is screwed into the pivot 15". The construction of the remaining mechanism is similar to the construction shown in Fig. 1 and is designated by similar reference characters.

This construction has certain advantages over the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and .3, since the flexible shaft 3T does not p artake of the movement of the steering knuckle. In this construct-ion the indicating mechanism' may be mounted directly on the axle, and the shaft 37a need not neces- ..sarily be ofa flexible type. As shown in Fig. 4 the spindle may be provided with an 40 end bushing 40 forming a bearing for the shaft 30. It is obvious that this bushing may be applied to the construction Shoa-nin Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5. Y

Although this invention is shown as applied to a hub and spindle having the plain bearings it is obvious that this construction maybe applied to a hub and a spindle of the roller bearing construction. It' will also be noted that certain features of construction may be applied to spindles not mounted on I a knuckle. n A

It is obvious that various changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from this invention and it is therefore to be understood that this inven- .Iftion is not to be limited-to the specific con- '.struct'i'on shown and described.

WhatI claim is: 1.51. In a vehicle, the combination with the axle and the steering spindle, of an indicator drii-ing mechanisiil comprising a shaft extending through said spindle and having a gear on its inner end, means pivotally connecting saidspindle to said axle and comprising a vertical pivot bolt arranged 'hollow steering knuckle having aspindle, a

said first-mentioned gear.-

3. In a' vehicle, the combination with the axle and the Steering spindle, of an indicator driving mechanism comprising a shaft ex; tending through said spindle and having'a gear on its inner end, means at the outer end of said shaft for driving the same, means A,pivotally connecting saidspindle and said axle and comprising a pair of alined pivot bolts arranged in a vertical plane With the axis -of said shaftand having their inner ends spaced apart and out of alinement with said shaft, and an indicator driving shaft. having a gear in mesh with said first-mentioned gear.

4. In a vehicle, the combination with a bearing 1n the spindle and a road wheel mounted thereon, of an indicator driving mechanism including a driving shaft journaled in the bearing, a driven Shaft at an :ingle to the driving shaft and journaled in the knuckle, intermeshing "gears on the shafts and locatedwithin the knuckle, a removable bearin sleeve forjthe driven shaft, Aand a detacha le connection between the driving shaft and thefwh'eel. A

5. In a. vehicle, the combination with a. pivoted steering knuckle having a spindle and a road .wheel on said spind1e,of an indicatoredriving mechanism having a part extending through the knuckle pivot, and a connection between said part and the wheel.

6. In a vehicle, the combination with a pivoted steering knuckle having a spindle and a road Wheel mounted on t-he spindle, of an indicator driving mechanism including a driven shaft journaled longitudinally in the knuckle pivot, and an operative connection between the shaft and the wheel.

7. In a vehicle, the combination with a pivoted steering knuckle having a spindle and a road wheel mountedon the spindle, of an indicator driving mechanism including a driven shaft journaled longitudinally intheknuckle pivot, a driving shaft journaled 'in the spindle, a driving connection bctween'the shafts, and a connection between the driving shaft and the Wheel.

8. In a vehicle, the combination with a pivoted hollow steering knuckle having aA spindle and'a road wheel mounted on the 130 Y spindle,

iss

of an indicator driving mechanism including a driving shaft journaled in the spindle, a driven shaft. iournaled longitudina lly in the knuckle pivot, intermeshing gears on the shafts and both within the knuckle,`

and a 'connection between the driving shaft and the wheel.

9. Ina vehicle, the combmation wlt-h a pivotcd steering knuckle having a spindle i and the wheel,

l0. ln a vehicle, the..combination with a pivoied hollow steering knuckle having a' spindle and a road wheel mounted on the `spindle, of an indicator driving mechanism including a driving shaft journaled in the spindle, a driven shaft journaled longitudinail) in the knuckle pivot, intfermeshing gears, on the shafts bothmounted wit-hin the knuckle,- a removable bushing for the driven shaft', a detachable connection between the driven shaft and the wheel, and a removable cap for the knuckle located opposite the" gears.-

11. In a vehicle,

and a knuckle pivot, and a road wheel on said spindle, of an indicatordriving mechani'sm'housed in said knuckle having a shaft extending longitudinally of said pivot,and a connection bet-Ween Said shaft-and the road wheel.

the .combination `with fafhollow.4 steering knuckle having a spindle 19.,.In a vehicle, the combination witha hollow steering knuckle having a spindle and a knuckle pivot, and a road wheel on said spindle, of an indicator driving mechanism including shafts extending Iongitudinally of said spindle and pivot respectively, and gears connecting said shafts and housed in said knuckle.

13. The combination with anaxle, a steer-Y ing knuckle pivoted thereto, and a wheel hub journaled on theA spindle of said knuckleLof a speedometer drive comprising 'a rotary sha t carried by and partaking of all. ofthe 1 movements of said axle, but with the said knuckle free for pivotal movements inde-iw pendently of movements of saidaxlefand" rotary shaft, whereby the said shaft isffree from the pivotal movements of said knuckle. 14. The combinationwith an axle, a steer',- ing-knuekle pivoted thereto and a wheel hub journaled onthe spindle of said knuckle,` of a, swivel acting speedometer drive applied in part to said'knuckle and in part to said axle, and comprising a rotary shaft carried by and partaking of the movements of said axle, but with the' said knuckle free for pivotal movements independently of move- `ments of said axle and rotary shaft, whereby the said rotar shaft is free from the-pivotal movements o said knuckle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

l ALLEN LOOMIS. Witnesses: l

C. LYDALE, E. H. KING.

`Copies ofthil patentmay'be obtained for ve cents cach, by addreuingthe 'Commuio'ner of Patenti,

' Washington, D. S." 

